Know The Worth Of Dismissed Odisha Cop Who Ran Bar In Bhubaneswar; 221% More Than ‘Official’ Income Source

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha vigilance has unearthed disproportionate assets worth Rs 6.97 crore during raids on the former constable of Commisionerate Police, Prasanna Behera.

According to an official release, the ex-constable and his family members were found in possession of disproportionate assets worth Rs.6,97,15,057, which was 221 per cent of their known sources of income.

The searches were conducted at five places – government residential quarter at Kalpana Square, Bhubaneswar, Spark furniture Pvt Ltd at Dumduma, Furniture Workshop at Santha Vihar, South City Bar at Patrapada in Bhubaneswar and a double-storey building at his native village Nuapada, Khurda on October 28.

The ex-constable had converted his modest government two-room flat into a lavish bungalow by unauthorised construction of eight new rooms, including 3 bedrooms and 5 other rooms including separate drawing and dining rooms, kitchen, puja room and bathrooms, a Vigilance official said.

An 18,000 square feet furniture showroom in the city worth over Rs 4 crore, a plot of land worth Rs 45 lakh in Khurda, a flat in the name of his wife worth Rs 24 lakh in Sundarpada, Bhubaneswar, insurance deposits over Rs 50 lakh apart from some other movable assets such as four-wheelers and two-wheelers were also recovered during the raids.

A case has been registered against Behera, his spouse and family members under Sections 13(2) r/w 13(1)(b)/12 PC Act, 1988, as amended by Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, the release added.

The former constable is currently in judicial custody after being arrested for allegedly running a bar without a licence and violating COVID norms. The bar had grabbed the crime spotlight as the son of senior journalist Navin Das, Manish Anurag, was spotted there hours before his body was recovered from a nearby pond at Patrapada last month.

He was later dismissed from service.

Eight department proceedings and five criminal cases pending against the former constable. The justice MN Patnaik commission of inquiry, which probed the 2001 hooch tragedy that led to 21 deaths in Khurda district, had also castigated Behera over his links with the liquor mafia.